Posted by John Swensen on March 22, 2001 at 16:13:28:
In Reply to: Valve rotation posted by Mark F. on March 22, 2001 at 13:51:48:
My teacher had it done to his Alex F, and I plan to do it to my Alex F in the next few months (valves 3, 4 and 5).
It makes a subtle, but noticeable, difference in the sounds of slurs; rotating counter-clockwise produces a smoother transition when the valve is depressed, while rotating clockwise produces a very slight pop, similar to that produced with a piston valve.
In terms of doing the work, the stop-arm cork extension and mounting point for the rod must both be moved, and the linkage must be modified to reach further over. My repairman (Dick Akright, a genius), suggests that the cork plate be left alone, and that all changes be made to the stop-arm assembly. I plan to make new stop arms so I can undo my modifications with a screwdriver if I mess something up (my linkage mechanism already allows changing arms with an Allen wrench).